What is your source for this? Your facts sound strangely
like the rumor threads that have run through various
discussion lists on the Net over the past few years.

Several of the sax experts have unequivocally stated that
these horns never existed. I'm afraid a hand-drawn picture
will not do it for me. I want to hear from someone who has
actually laid their hands on one and has a photo to prove
it.

> Okay guys, I think I'd like to set the
record straight for once!!! > The Sub Contrabass
Saxophone was added by C.G. Conn of Elkhart, Ind. in >
1902; some say that there were up to ten made, though I
believe it was> closer to four (though some may have
been destroyed in either of the two > great Conn
factory fires!). There is assumed to be two of these still
> in existence. It stood @10 feet tall and could be
played as agily as > any other sax of the time; it's
range extended to one octave below the > Bass Sax
(Ab-1?). I am working on a book, "Odd and Underused
Musical > Instruments"; I'll try to get a picture
(Hand-drawn, but it's decent!) > to Grant for the
Compendium.> Tristan Carpenter;
emerald1@megsinet.net

LI>1902; some say that there were up to ten made,
though I believe it was =

LI>closer to four (though some may have been destroyed
in either of the two =

LI>great Conn factory fires!). There is assumed to be
two of these still =

LI>in existence. It stood @10 feet tall and could be
played as agily as =

LI>any other sax of the time; it's range extended to
one octave below the =

LI>Bass Sax (Ab-1?). I am working on a book, "Odd
and Underused Musical =

LI>Instruments"; I'll try to get a picture
(Hand-drawn, but it's decent!) =

LI>to Grant for the Compendium.

LI>Tristan Carpenter; emerald1@megsinet.net

Next time you're in Boston, stop in to Bob Drinkwater's
Woodwind Repair/Eulipian Woodwind Guild. The walls of Bob's
shop are absolutely covered with pictures of rare and unusual
instruments and reed players of all kinds. He also keeps an
extensive record collection from which he is occasionally
prone to pull out an example of whatever instrument or
musician you might end up discussing...and he CAN discuss,
unless you happen to catch him at a busy moment with a
customer. Among the clippings that are taped to the wall are
a pair of photos of the Conn Subcontrabass Sax in front of
Conn's showroom (I think in NYC). In one photo, it stands
tall, reaching the middle of the store's marquis and in the
other, it is lying prone on a flatbed truck. Really huge!
Also among the collection are shots of CB Sarussaphones,
soprano sarrusaphones, well, I could go on for a while here,
but Rahsaan Roland Kirk is a major source of interest here,
as Bob was friends with him and played with his band on the
odd occasion at Jazz Worksop in Boston and was, in fact one
of his pall bearers at his funeral. He recently sent 20 pages
of notes to an author working on Kirk's biography. Bob's
band, "Bright Moments" and his Eulipian Woodwind
Guild both take their names from Rahsaan tunes. He feels very
strongly about passing along the information on instruments
and musician, so he's almost always up for a chat. You can
find his shop in Boston, not far from the Boylston subway
station, on Boylston Street above the Steinway showroom in
Steinert Hall. He does great work, too - an alumnus of Haynes
Flutes (Rahsaan got him the job!)

Cheers!

Bonedaddy@connections.ultranet.com

PS...Carl Fischer Music in Boston where Bob used to have
his shop has closed its Boston branch next door to Steinway.
The building is set to be demolished this week. They remain
open in NYC & Chicago. Beacon Musical Instuments, a
division bought out years ago is gone forever.

>Next time you're in Boston, stop in to
Bob Drinkwater's Woodwind Repair/ >Eulipian Woodwind
Guild. The walls of Bob's shop are absolutely covered
>with pictures of rare and unusual instruments and
reed players of all >kinds. He also keeps an extensive
record collection from which he is

Boy, I wish I'd known about this last
October, when I was in Boston! My wife probably walked right
past it while I was at work (she marched the kids up and down
the Freedom Trail), and didn't notice it. Or maybe she
noticed it, and made a mental note to make sure that I never
came anywhere near it ;-)

>clippings that are taped to the wall are
a pair of photos of the Conn

>Subcontrabass Sax in front of Conn's showroom (I
think in NYC). In one

>photo, it stands tall, reaching the middle of the
store's marquis and in

>the other, it is lying prone on a flatbed truck.
Really huge! Also among

Yep, this sounds like the subcontra
"promo" sax that's been mentioned from time to
time. As far as I know, they only made one and shipped it
around the country for publicity.

>the collection are shots of CB
Sarussaphones, soprano sarrusaphones,

>well, I could go on for a while here, but Rahsaan
Roland Kirk is a major

>source of interest here, as Bob was friends with him
and played with his

Not too often someone walks in with a
stritch or a manzello, eh? :-) Sounds like my kind of
place...